


Therapy Session

by EternalSailorNeptune_53



Series: Final Fantasy Versus XV [5]
Category: Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XV
Genre: (Sort of; Prompto's not actually licensed lmfao), Be the change you wanna see in the world, Bonding, Gen, Reconciliation, Screw it; I'm making up a friendship tag for Lemonade Mouth bc I said so, Therapy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:34:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22571059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EternalSailorNeptune_53/pseuds/EternalSailorNeptune_53
Summary: Takes place during: Chapter 6: A Way Forward (still pre-"talk to Iris")When the team goes a while without a good night's rest, fatigue causes an irritable spat between Noct and Light. Taking matters into his own hands so two of his friends don't go back to square one, Prompto voluntarily opts to be the one that gets them to make up in a way he deems best. In the process, he winds up helping them dig deeper and reach another level of understanding.
Relationships: Lightning (Final Fantasy XIII) & Noctis Lucis Caelum, Prompto & Lightning, Prompto Argentum & Noctis Lucis Caelum, Prompto Argentum & Noctis Lucis Caelum & Lightning Farron
Series: Final Fantasy Versus XV [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1600693
Kudos: 9





	Therapy Session

**Author's Note:**

> This one happens not too long after the events of "The Steaks Are High" since actual progress was made between Noct and Light, but it doesn't reach official "solid ground" until this fic. It's also the last already-completed fic I'm releasing until I write a couple more that are crucial since the others that have been done for a year I'm saving for a rainy day >:3c
> 
> Basically, you'll be reading a oneshot version of "I Think I Got You Beat" from /that/ musical, but in story form minus the farting noises at the end (sadly). It's also more Team 7 Redux (Prompto, Noctis, and Lightning)-centric, so be sure to enjoy some moments between them as well. I promise it won't disappoint and there's lot more Versus XV to come in the future, as per usual! Have fun and Happy Reading! ♥

With the strike of a recently upgraded Engine Blade, the Saberclaw was vanquished in seconds flat. Noctis stood up from his attack, slinging his primary weapon over his shoulder while checking to make sure no more beasts would try and attack him or his friends from the shadows. The ever-weary prince let out a mute yawn, feeling his eyelids hang a little more forward and his body numb from scarce energy. He’d honestly lost track of how many days it’d been since he or anyone slept, sadly, but it would all be worth it once they hit the next inn. Why, once you got past the agonizing strain that came with the unforgiving chains of fatigue, Noctis could already feel himself get stronger! As much as he hated to sacrifice his precious snooze times, it’d all pay off in the end. It’d all pay…!

“Noct! Look alive!” Gladio called out, rushing to the prince’s direct left and deflecting a rogue Killer Bee’s lunge using one of the shields taking form from their crystals. One swipe of his greatsword had the giant bug decapitated and fallen in seconds. “Feel more than free to sleep later when we’re not all about to be gutted by a bunch of bugs!”

“Speak! For yourself over there!” Lightning exclaimed, shooting dead another handful of the Killer Bee swarm and slashing others. “Things aren’t the easiest on our end either!”

“Just stay alert— and awake, and these pests won’t be anywhere close to a problem anymore!” Ignis warned, eviscerating one behind him that was inches away from driving a stinger through his back. A deep gouge with one of his daggers quickly prevented that would-have-been tragedy, the other making a clean slice through another Bee’s neck area. “You’ll have to do much better than that to sneak up on me.”

“At least the turnout is good in this area!” Noctis pointed out, opting for using the Blade of the Mystic to boost his strength and hits better. “Keep this up, and it’ll make that sweet sleep even more worth the wait.”

“Maybe it’d be sweeter if—! We took five now and felt less gross…?” Prompto wheezed, having to give one Killer Bee a deadly headshot for trying to sneak up on him. “Dunno how much longer I can go, Noct…”

“Just a little longer, Prompto! We can’t stop until we’ve taken enough of these things down…!”

Although he’d said that, Noctis could feel himself at his wit’s end after just one more of them. He and the others nonetheless persisted, but all five were running on only enough steam to not collapse in the middle of wherever in outer Duscae. They could do this! A little further, and a little harder, and everyone would be home free with more handy experience under their belt to save their skins against stronger foes later! Why, Noctis was already so calm about how under control it all was. Little by little, his surroundings were already disappearing before his heavy eyes. His body might have been numbing, but he had… this… everything going just swimmingly…

“Noctis!” Lightning’s cry of his name brought Noctis’ eyes to open again abruptly, the first thing he saw being the final Killer Bee shot dead by the miraculous bullet of the only gunblade in Eos. She stood in front of him in a guarding stance, sheathing her weapon now that no adversaries remained. “Way too close for comfort…”

“At least that’s over,” Noctis yawned, standing himself up sturdier. His stance may have been more or less corrected, but it hadn’t rectified his depleting energy one bit. “So, now what?”

“How’s about getting some rest before we charge into the next fight?” Gladio suggested, the dryness in his eyes reminding him of fatigue with every blink. “I’m up for some good, old-fashioned experience fighting as much as the next guy, but I’m not eating shit out here because I ran out of steam.”

“Since we’ve gone through more than enough foes, now would be the perfect time to rack up what was gained,” Ignis further noted, lifting his glasses and rubbing his tired eye a bit with the same finger.

“Of course, we could have gotten some sleep earlier were it not for Noctis acting like a reckless little kid,” Lightning spat, the weary crankiness showing well in her displeased words.

The accusation took Noctis right from his languor on his way to the Regalia, now instead snapping right around at the former soldier offended. “Excuse me?” he growled, daring Lightning to repeat herself.

“Oh boy, this oughta end well,” Gladio sighed with nothing but sarcasm, only intending to intervene if it’d get to Noctis and Lightning being tempted to kill each other.

“Alright, wait a minute, you two!” Prompto intervened, knowing full well where the scene was going and getting between his pair of friends. “Everyone’s exhausted from so many hunts, so let’s just rest a bit and we’ll feel a lot better! What do you say?”

“No, hold on a second, Prompto,” Noctis bit back, moving the marksman out of the way to angrily confront Lightning. “I wanna hear with Little Miss ‘Super Soldier’ wants to say to me. Then, I’m gonna look for whoever the Hell she’s calling a reckless kid, because I know for damn sure it’s _not_ me.”

“Noctis, the only thing I’m saying is that if you didn’t have your head so far up your ass earlier insisting we overdo it with experience grinding, we’d be well on our way to the next inn and gotten some sleep,” Lightning told him seemingly calm, then switching to her truer, more irritated interior. “And then maybe we wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place!”

“You’re seriously blaming _me_ for this? I was more than ready to turn in after just a few more measly targets! Never thought you of all people would be someone to pass up a fight, Soldier Girl.”

Lightning cracked her knuckles, doing a gesture that taunted Noctis into approaching her aggressively. “Then I won’t turn down this one, how about that?”

“Okay, no, no! Let’s break it up!” Prompto fervidly insisted, getting between the fighting twosome. “Now, Noct. Pink. A little trouble in paradise, but we’re all friends here! We don’t need to kill each other.”

“Most of us are friends here, anyways,” Noctis bit back, no longer having the incentive to fight the woman and instead pointing a very cranky index finger at her face. “But a certain minority doesn’t have any business being out here with us in the first place. The four of us were doing just fine as is from the get-go, so your only job being here is making this trip go even longer than it needs to, and a lot harder to put up with at this point.”

Everyone went quiet after Noctis finished speaking, Lightning the only one without a change in her stoic expression save for a reasonable irritation as she took her turn in getting up in the Lucian prince’s face. “In case you haven’t noticed, ‘Your Highness’, you’re not the only person here who never asked for me to get dragged all over Eos. But, newsflash, we’re nowhere near Altissia yet, so until we are, act your age and suck it up already.” Yawning, she shoved him out of the way and made her own to the Regalia to get first dibs on a seat. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna take go and Prompto’s advice and rest my eyes a little.”

None of the boys said anything after Lightning went to the car, instead following suit and giving individual looks to a vexed Noctis on the way there. Ignis and Gladio were expectedly far more stern, while Prompto was closer to uncertainty, if anything. As for Noctis himself, he seemed to lack the concern of what he’d just done for the time being. When all of them got in the Regalia (Prompto being the unfortunate victim that had to act as a living barrier between his oldest friend and his newest one lest another argument ensue when no one wanted to deal with it), they drove to the closest inn they were able to find and pay for in hopes of replenishing enough energy for proper travel.

It was waking up and checking out after a hard-earned energy slumber is what most of the group seemed to be looking forward to the least. Of all the people to be butting heads again in spite of initial progress, the two most emotionally volatile of the team was a bad combination to pick. Whatever unavoidable bridge was going to get crossed later against everyone’s will, it’d only be one headache after the other they’d just gone done dealing with.

* * *

After what seemed like a pipe dream in their states of exhaustion, the quintet finally woke up from having rested enough in the Three Z’s, preparing to set off for Lestallum again per their next important meet-up happening soon. While getting themselves ready to check out and be on the road again, Noctis looked on at Lightning taking some fresher clothes inside the bathroom for privacy, shutting the door so abruptly it almost qualified as an angry slam before locking it. He sighed, taking hardly a second to remember she was still mad from his earlier, sleep-deprived outburst. There wasn’t much else to be expected otherwise, but if she was going to be like that, what was he to do right then?

“Not that anyone should have to tell you this, but I hope you’re not planning on dodging Light all day,” Gladio scolded. “Of all the people to be stuck with pissed off, she’s definitely at the bottom of the list.”

“I don’t need you pointing out what’s obvious,” Noctis bit. “I know I may have gone a little too far back there, but I swear that girl takes a century to cool off. When am I supposed to talk to her without backlash?”

“Wait for an opportune time, but not so long that you think it’s going to blow over,” Ignis suggested. “And considering it’s Light’s bad side you’ve landed yourself on, it won’t.”

“Just play it cool, but be sincere!” Prompto included, patting Noctis on the shoulder a few times. “Girls like guys that are able to admit their honest feelings!”

“You’re saying it like I’m trying to impress her,” Noctis sighed. “All I’m doing is saying sorry, then moving on to doing better so Snippy Sgt. Farron can stop flying off the handle at me.”

“Maybe she wouldn’t have to do that if you didn’t act like such a brat towards her so damn much,” Gladio reminded him. “If you wanna get anywhere with her, you gotta play nice and act your age.”

“Especially since it’s just as she said. We’re nowhere near Altissia, after all,” Ignis pointed out. Seeing the malcontented look on Noctis’ face, he got his attention reassuringly. “Noct, we aren’t saying you have to fall in love with the girl; only that you two don’t cause so much trouble that working together becomes nigh-impossible.”

“Besides, Pink can be pretty understanding herself,” Prompto stated. “If you show her you’re really sorry, she’ll let it be water under the bridge and move on from it. A win-win not just for you or her, but for all of us!”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Noctis agreed, half-hearted. “It’s not like I want her to hate me, but I shouldn’t have to walk on eggshells just to say I’m sorry.”

Prompto put his chin between his thumb and index finger, resting his foot on the bed like a wise old sea dog lost in thought. “Aye, the womenfolk can be fickle, indeed. But, it’s all what makes ‘em fascinatin’ creatures to behold, indeed. They be a harsh mistress, and yet some oh-so worth the work.”

“I think I’ll stick to waters I can actually fish in, Captain.” Noctis heard the toilet flush from inside the bathroom, followed by the running of the hotel room’s faucet. “Alright, I’ll talk to her. Wish me luck.”

Bracing himself, Noctis went to the bathroom door and knocked a few times. Lightning asking who was knocking politely from inside made him hesitate, but he gripped his nerve tightly and answered with his first name. Only a huffy “Oh” was heard on the other end, then by the door clicking locked immediately afterwards. Tugging on the handle, Noctis growled frustrated and turned back to the others ready to gripe, only for them to point to the door and refuse to let him leave that spot with strict expressions.

“She locked the door! There’s no way she’s talking to me!” Noctis complained.

“Good insight for once, because I’m not,” Lightning snarked, sitting arms folded and cross-legged on the closed toilet.

“Why, you—!”

“ _Noct_ ,” Ignis spoke up. “Some effort is better than none.”

“Fine, fine…” Noctis faced the bathroom door again, having too much of a feeling Lightning wasn’t even looking in his direction. “Light, we need to talk. About what happened, I mean. Well, yeah— you probably already know that, I dunno why I’m saying it, but the point is, I just wanna say something to you involving it.”

“Say anything you want, but I’m not gonna listen if I don’t want to,” Lightning hissed stoically.

“I’ve got some bad news for you then. Unless you’d rather deal with a much harder rest of this trip, you’re gonna have to open at least one ear and hear me out.”

“Why should I?”

“Because it’s not getting swept under the rug.” Noctis inhaled through his nose and exhaled a few long seconds later, trying to maintain his thinning patience. “Look, we don’t have to talk it out now if you don’t wanna. But, can we at least do it later? Maybe over dinner?”

“A ‘please’ would really sell it, Noct!” Prompto whispered.

“...Over dinner, _please_?”

“I gave you my answer already,” Lightning rejected harshly. “There’s nothing I have to say to you, or anything important you’re gonna say to me that I’m gonna bother hearing out.”

Okay, that did it. Ready to pull the hair out of his head from sheer frustration, Noctis drove the side of his fist against the nearest wall. “You know what?! FINE! Who needs you anyways, Farron?! If you wanna go and give me the silent treatment the rest of the trip, I couldn’t care less! You’re just too damn impossible for anyone to be dumb enough to bother with!”

Stomping over to the room door, Noctis ripped it open and slammed it on his way out, not caring that he’d left his belongings behind with his friends. Following the outburst, the remaining three Lucians gave up on that chance of reconciliation rather quickly, especially since they’d known better than to overestimate the arguing two’s shared bullheadedness. Lightning finally came out of the bathroom after a few extra moments, but only to take her own belongings out and take them to the Regalia and wait wherever Noctis wasn’t. She hadn’t paid any heed to her observing friends, not wanting potential comments from the peanut gallery on the spat she was still having with the prince.

“That could have gone better,” Gladio grumbled, shaking his head at the disastrous verdict.

“Much better,” Ignis agreed, already scooping Noctis’ forgotten belongings under his arm to bring out later. “This only means we need another plan to get those two to reconcile, but what?”

“I’d say lockin’ em in a room together and forcing them to grow up, but I’d feel sorry for the poor room that’s gotta keep them in.”

“You’re onto something, Gladiolus. They need enough space to talk things through, but also a third party to act as supervisor so neither gets too heated. I could volunteer to help them out; I do have my ways of maintaining armistice between two others at odds.”

“How about I do it? Someone’s gotta knock some sense into ‘em. Hearing it from an honest source oughta make a nick in things.”

“While that is true, Noct and Light are bound to take some things too personally and won’t be able to focus on the main point.”

“I’m not there to beat around the bush, Iggy. I’m there to help ‘em keep their heads on straight.”

“Guys, guys, guys,” Prompto interrupted, laying his elbows on Ignis and Gladio’s shoulders. “You’re both going about this all wrong! What those two need isn’t just a good talk. They need the help of an expert!”

“An expert in what, may I ask?”

“Duh! The fine, yet complicated art of _romance_.” Prompto pointed a finger to his winking eye as a double means of gesturing to himself, too. “Obviously, Noct and Light both have a little tension going on, so it’s up to someone with a smooth enough tongue to get them to ease out of what’s eating them.”

Gladio rolled his eyes. “If you’re looking for a ‘smooth’ tongue, then you’re definitely not one of the first people I’d pick for the job.”

“Says you! I’ll have you know I’ve been on this rodeo enough times to qualify, so if anyone’s good at playing counselor, it’s moi.”

“Prompto, with all respect due, we’d prefer someone who we know won’t get too carried away with such an otherwise simple situation,” Ignis insisted.

“Yeah. It’s not like we don’t trust you, but we wanna get this over and done with, not put on even longer,” Gladio added.

“Then that only makes me even more qualified for the job! I’ve got ‘quick’ in my first name, for Six’s sake!” Prompto took out his smartphone and messaged the missing two team members vague, yet similar texts before pressing send. “I’ll get them to meet somewhere remote, help them get things off their chest, and voy-la! A perfect little couples’ counseling sesh finished totally under reps.”

“...Whatever crazy idea you have in mind, keep it to a minimum,” Ignis warned, resigned.

“I might not have to. Trust me; this plan’s a total shoe-in!”

Following after where Noctis and Lightning stormed out, Prompto left the room to put his plan together. He needed to gather some things before meeting up with either, but he had to be quick as he promised. To further stall, he texted false directions to his absent friends, waiting and making sure they saw the messages while getting prepared. Once certain they did, he continued his supply hunt to get more of his plan underway. It was a 50-50 shot, he knew, but Prompto smirked regardless knowing something was bound to unfurl if things went his way for once.

* * *

To say Noctis was tired (well, more than he usually was) would have been the biggest understatement of any century. Building up experience for a while combined with his fight with Lightning were not two that should go together, even if he’d gotten every ounce of sleep in the world. Now, there Prompto was; texting him confusing instructions on where to around such a small outpost area. Whatever his friend wanted, it’d better be really good. It was especially the case with Noctis realizing he’d been led to the woods just across the street from the Taelpar Rest Area he and his friends were sleeping in. He trusted the sharpshooter with his life, but something didn’t seem right for some reason…

“Prompto? Hey! Prompto, where are you?” Noctis called. “If this is some kinda prank, you can find your own way back to the car, got it?! Tell me what’s going on!”

“Noctis?” Lightning wondered before giving him an annoyed look with her arms folded. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, great…” Noctis pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling more tired than ever now. “Don’t get the wrong idea or anything; I was told to come here by our dear friend Prompto.”

“So was I. He told me he found a really good photo op around this area, but I have yet to actually find him.”

“Wait a minute. If he called you out here too, that can’t be a good sign.” Noctis put both hands up to surrender, walking back the way he’d come. “I’m tapping out, dude. I dunno what you’re planning, but I’m taking a rain check!”

“Tough luck, Noct! It’s nice and sunny out, so your check’s invalid!” Prompto suddenly spoke up, clamping together his friends’ ankles by metal cuffs and locking it with the key, which he hid away in his pocket.

“Hey! What the Hell are you doing?!” Noctis tugged his ankle away from Lightning’s, only to bring her foot closer from the connection.

“Did you seriously just chain us together?!” Lightning barked, summoning Blazefire Saber and sawing at the linked metal to no avail. “This isn’t funny, Prom. Get us out of this!”

“No can do, O Ethereal One,” Prompto hummed, leading them carefully to a pitched tent a bit further from their initial spot. “Come with me! No time to waste!”

Against their will, Noctis and Lightning got pushed into Prompto’s new periwinkle tent and seated in a pair of folding chairs neither was sure how he’d acquired either. While using their weapons to try again at sawing their ankles free from the chain, they shot each other nasty glares in spite of having the common goal of escaping the unknown zany scheme. They only stopped when Prompto returned, now bringing his own chair along with a notepad and pen whilst wearing lensless glasses so as to neither mess up his contacts nor return to the past. Sitting down cross-legged, he folded his hands and looked right at the bewildered prince and former soldier.

“Dr. Quicksilver is now in session,” Prompto spoke simply, already getting into character. “Mr. Lucis Caelum, Miss Farron, I must say that by this view alone, I’m pickin’ up on lots of tension between you two, yes?”

“Maybe that has to do with the fact that you chained us together,” Lightning growled, still fighting against her ankle cuffs.

“Ah, yes, yes. I understand. We all feel like we’re chained to circumstances we might not want.” Prompto wrote down his first set of notes under the full names of both apparent patients. “Especially circumstances made from pure Adamantite that you’ve got no chance of cutting yourself out of without the key, which the person trying to help you ain’t forkin’ over until we’re through.”

“And your idea of ‘helping’ involves trapping and holding us prisoner?” Noctis asked rhetorically. “Great start there.”

“Thanks! It wasn’t easy getting all of this in such a short time span. How else was I gonna keep you two from running off?”

“Not— this! This is insane even for you!” Lightning protested, only giving up on breaking the chains when her gunblade chipped in the process. Sending it back to the Armiger, she sighed defeated. “...You’d better make this quick. Whatever you want with me, don’t give me too much of a migraine, okay?”

“I’m here to help, Pink, never hurt,” Prompto reassured. “Now. I think we all know why I’ve brought you two here today. Think back on something that might have gotten you two butting heads. ...Recently.”

“How could I forget? His _Highness_ clearly didn’t get brought up to act so princely after all.” Lightning glared right at Noctis, who had his own displeased look to throw her way. “It really says something when the common folk have more grace than you’ll hope to.”

“And there you go again with the ‘No Grace Noct’ card,” Noctis snorted, rolling his eyes. “You’re not exactly a picnic to put up with yourself, Sarge. Just because you had the upper hand to others in your old troupe doesn’t mean you can make yourself my commanding officer or anything.”

“Who’d want to be? If you were anywhere near me in the Guardian Corps, I’d have put you so far in your place you’d never move an inch from it again. Prince or not, you’d be on _my_ turf.”

“Oooh, I’m so scared of the big-bad military enforcer who eats, sleeps, and breathes combat. I feel sorry for whoever fought on the same team as you; Gods know I wouldn’t have been able to handle you yelling in my ear every time I make one little mistake on the battlefield.”

“If you came from where I used to, you wouldn’t have lasted a second when things got bad. You might not be too bad a fighter here, but no amount of warping or Royal Arms usage could save you from the Sanctum’s wrath. And take this from me, the smallest hint that you draw power from a crystal would’ve make you a glowing target.”

“Big whoop. It’s not the first time someone’d be after me for being linked to the Crystal. In case you got a little amnesia going on there, it’s why the Empire’s trying to kill us in the first place!”

“Alright, easy, you two,” Prompto warned, breaking up the fight at Noctis raising his voice while writing down more notes. “The tension’s a lot higher than I thought, but now we’ve made a little breakthrough! Light’s got some stories to share of getting screwed over by a crystal just like us. Lookit that! We’ve already found a common point!”

“Hardly,” Noctis scoffed. “She was practically born a soldier. It couldn’t have been anything too hard for her to put up with.”

“I didn’t become as strong as I am overnight, you know,” Lightning spat. “Nobody’s just given the ability to defend themselves right away. That’s something you go through Hell, back, and more Hell following just to get down the basics of hard survival.”

“For people who aren’t experienced enough, maybe. Warping may be in my bloodline, but all that training I had to do was no walk in the park, lady. It’s one thing to be able to do it from the start, but it’s another to be _good_ at doing it, which I had to earn myself.”

“You say that like I’ve always been experienced my entire life. Combat’s something I had to teach myself when others had the honor of sitting pretty just to make a living. Even well before that, I still needed to ‘fight’ in a way to keep myself alive for lots of good reasons.”

Noctis cocked a brow, skeptical. “And why’s that? Did your folks send you away to learn more discipline or something?”

Lightning stayed quiet, her hands gripping both arms as if giving herself a familial embrace she’d been long destitute of without losing too much face. “...They couldn’t.”

“How? You— weren’t old enough to go?” The somber drop of Lightning’s voice wasn’t something Noctis could pretend he didn’t pick up on, hoping the first reason that came to his mind turned out to be a depressing assumption.

“No. They couldn’t send me away because they were already gone themselves.”

At the blunt correction, Noctis and Prompto felt everything in their rib cages drop heavily. Prompto’s was purely out of sympathy towards his newest friend, but Noctis was unfortunate enough to have his mixed with a newfound guilt. In the mix of both, however, the Lucian prince could feel something resonate on a deeper level with Lightning, all of it too new and unforeseen specifically because of the pink-haired girl herself. He refrained from bringing anything related to it up prematurely, but in a way, a flicker of his otherwise strong sense of empathy was sparking just the tiniest bit already.

“...I see,” Noctis finally spoke up, scratching the back of his head uneasily. “That’s not something I was expecting to hear from you. Was this your whole life?”

“What’s it matter?” Lightning scoffed, despondent. “It’s all happened too long ago; my past is just that.”

“Pink,” Prompto admonished. “The point of therapy is to talk about some deep feelings, particularly the ones bothering you the most. And what’s said in this tent stays unless you wanna do more sharing beyond that.”

“I’d rather not discuss it.”

“Hey, may as well,” Noctis shrugged. “Besides us being stuck here until we kiss and make up, this could… ya know. Change a lot, depending on what both of us wind up sharing.”

Lightning snorted, not believing Noctis being in any way genuine. “Right, like me telling you of all people my sob story is gonna do me any good. I don’t need either of you feeling sorry for me just because I don’t have living parents.”

“No one’s trying to feel sorry for you. We— well. ...I think it could help me understand you better than before. I haven’t exactly made much of an effort since the steak errand, so where’s the harm in starting for real?”

“...Why the sudden change of heart?”

“Hmm?”

“I mean, why are you suddenly so interested? Someone like you couldn’t begin to understand that much even if you tried.”

“You don’t know that. The only way you would is if you gave things a shot yourself.” Noctis looked at Lightning with a never-before-seen comforting expression directed her way only, surprising the girl greatly. “Go on. I’m all ears.”

Going back to staring at her boots (and ignoring the pesky ankle chain currently trapping her to Noctis), Lightning gave in at long last. “Fine. Here goes. My dad died a little after Serah was born, and my mother followed suit when I was only fifteen. She was really sick for a while, so we knew it was only a matter of time.”

“Uh-huh,” Prompto uttered, taking more counseling notes. “And Serah is who?”

“Her sister,” Noctis answered in Lightning’s stead, quieting down when he realized he’d spoken up. “...Sorry, I remembered you brought that up back at Hammerhead. Continue.”

 _‘I’m more surprised he didn’t forget,’_ Lightning commented internally, mildly impressed with it but still resuming her talk. “Yeah, Serah’s my younger sister. Even before Mom went, I helped out with her plenty after we lost Dad… but then eventually, I was all she had. She was kinda all I had for a while, too, thinking about it.”

“So, if I’m getting what you’re saying right, you were Serah’s de-facto guardian after you lost your folks?” Prompto quizzed.

Lightning nodded. “I had to be. A lot of things about me needed to change if Serah was gonna have a good upbringing. What I did with my time, how hard I’d been working, even my first name. It was either get strong for my sister, or live a life of misery— if living would still be possible.”

 _‘That’s who she was talking about before! Her little sister…’_ Prompto set the notepad down, folding his hands and looking at his friends. “Things must have been tough for you growing up, huh? How did you get through all of it?”

“Didn’t matter. I survived and looked out for Serah, and that was all that mattered to me. We’re doing a lot better living in Astréos, but getting there in the first place… there’s a lot I’d go back and change, if I could.” Lightning bowed her head with remorse, looking back on everything leading up to her current life. “I was supposed to protect my sister, and yet all I did was let her down at every turn. I couldn’t even be there for her when she needed me most.”

“If Serah’s doing okay now, then you must have done something right,” Noctis finally found the courage to say. “You’ve gone through a lot for her, but all of it bore fruit in the end. And from how you’re talking about her, it sounds like you two are still closer than ever, right?”

“Which is a miracle in itself. If I were in her shoes and had to look at what I put her through, I’d hate me until I stopped being able to breathe. She’s earned not having to deal with anymore fal’Cie and time crap, and she always will.”

Noctis didn’t know specifically what Lightning implied Serah went through, but it was all besides the point. “And how do you think she got to where she is now? You made some mistakes with your sister, but you’re not striking me as the kind of person to do that and let it get worse.”

“Did you?” Prompto inquired.

“What? No! How could I just do nothing after messing up that badly?!” Lightning objected. “But, none of it’s ever gonna change a thing.”

“No, it won’t. But, if I were Serah, I’d say I had a pretty damn good sister,” Noctis said, a soft smile crossing his lips. “Anyone with someone they love that’s willing to risk life and death for them to keep going shouldn’t take any of that for granted. ...Ever.”

Lightning heard the hardened, yet equally sorrowful tone Noctis picked up. “Something on your mind?”

Palm up, Noctis shook his head. “Nah. I’m a listener, not a talker.”

“I don’t think it’s very fair for me to pour my heart out to you and Prompto, but you get to keep quiet over there. What’s eating you?”

“A really fresh wound,” Prompto warned her, the uneasy look on his face pleading for Lightning to not pry into it. “Don’t open it while Noct still wants it closed.”

“...Fine. That’s fair. But, don’t think I’m just going to up and drop this altogether, either.”

“I don’t expect you to,” Noctis said. “Talking about it can wait ‘til a later date, though.”

“Sadly, speaking of dropping things, our time here’s up,” Prompto announced, closing his notebook. “Now, my services are free of charge, but if you’d like another session with Dr. Quicksilver, contact me between appropriate hours so we can agree on a good appointment. For reference on said hours, here’s my card.”

Noctis crumpled up the piece of paper as soon as he’d gotten it. “Can you finally let us out of the chains, then? You got your Kumbaya feelings talk, and Iris is still waiting for us in Lestallum.”

“Don’t need to. Look down.”

Doing so, Noctis and Lightning were surprised to discover their ankle chain had been long unlocked, wriggling themselves free of the metal. Prompto spun the key to it around as if to further tease the two, putting it away and walking off without another word while thanking them both for their generous time. Tearing down the tent and hauling it along following Prompto back to civilization, the atmosphere felt a lot less strenuous between the prince and his newest retinue member than it had before the deep talk.

“...Hey, uhh— about earlier,” Noctis began. “I really am sorry for lashing out at you like that. I don’t have any excuse for it, but it wasn’t okay for me to say any of what I did back there. It’s not gonna be happening again, I promise.”

“Just forget it,” Lightning sighed. “It’s water under the bridge, but only if you don’t go crazy with the experience fights anymore. You do that, and we won’t have anymore trouble between us.”

Noctis gave a promising salute, standing stiff like an actual soldier. “You have my word, Sarge.”

Lightning was unable to help herself from snickering from such a ridiculous imitation. “What’s that all about? Didn’t I just get done telling you how _not_ cut out to be part of the Guardian Corps you’d be?”

“Hey, I’d so make the cut! Sure, I dunno what is it your old home’s got against crystal magic, but I could still do just fine.”

“I have yet to see you in battle without using your powers, but if you were running around Co— ...my first home, any sort of crystal would be a red flag to anyone that wasn’t like you.”

“Why’s that?”

“Crystals were associated with magical use, just like here. But, that magic is also a sign that you’re a slave to the gods and are practically cursed to either do their bidding for usually ever…” Lightning clutched the part of her shirt over her breastbone, eyelids tightening from the difficult memories. “Or become a monster.”

“What? The Gods can’t turn you into a monster just for not doing what they say. In fact, they usually do a lot worse…”

“I’m not talking about the Astrals. The stupid gods I had to put up with looked more like machines than people with everything and everyone centered around them, basically. And if they wanted you to do something, it stuck with you for all time.”

“Alright, that part’s making a little more sense to me. So, what you’re saying is me getting my powers from the Crystal would put me in even bigger danger where you used to be from than I already am now?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“...Oh, well, good to know.” Noctis shrugged it off almost humorously, hands in his pockets. “Gotta say, this old home of yours is making Eos look like a playground in comparison.”

“I wouldn’t say it was all total Hell. Remember, I was born and raised in Bodhum, which is part of the old world I came from. Despite everything, there are some things I miss about it.”

“It’s also how you met all your friends while on the lam. You made the best of a really shitty situation by sticking with people who care about you. Sometimes, that’s what turns out to be a huge turning point for times of hardship.”

“There’s no doubt on that. You might wanna get as far away from some people as possible, but lots of time together can change your mind and you wind up glad it did.” Lightning smiled to herself, Noctis stealing enough of a glimpse in case he wouldn’t be able to again. “It makes you feel a lot less lonely than you did before they turned your life around.”

“...Definitely.” Noctis saw the others climbing into the Regalia across the street where the Taelpar Rest Area was, stopping for a moment after thinking some. “That seems to apply to just about anyone, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah? And?”

“Ah, forget it. I’m not gonna jump to conclusions, but I’ll say lots of people can have a change of heart about someone they didn’t look that much at before.” Noctis walked ahead of Lightning, giving her the warmest look she remembered being sent her way by the blueblood. “It’s not too hard to figure out.”

Still thinking a bit on what Noctis was trying to tell her, Lightning got the hint only after getting in the Regalia directly next to him in the back with Prompto on the furthest end. The fact of how less distant he seemed in doing so only supported the idea, everything finally sinking into one place as the car began moving with Ignis driving it. She had no clue where things would go from there, if Noctis was really a man of his word. If it was anything like how she’d had a change of heart in better cooperating in a group of others, well…

Maybe things for them wouldn’t be so bad after all. Nothing was set in stone just yet, but whatever she was going to deal with next, she’d either be ready for it, or make herself do so in due time.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, that ended pleasantly, I'd say. Though keep in mind: just because Noct and Light are no longer fighting doesn't mean it's gonna be 100% rainbows and laser puppies from here on out. This IS Final Fantasy (/XV/ especially), after all >:3c. I can assure you it's nothing outside of the expected angst, so you don't have much else to worry for besides that.
> 
> I'm almost done the installment I'll be posting next in the series, matter of fact, so look forward to that even more! It sparks joy seeing your lovely comments and knowing people enjoy this. 'Til next time, stay freeeesh! ♥


End file.
